With Maui’s primary just days away, incumbent Kauanoe Batangan is heading into the final stretch with endorsements from 15 labor unions — a broad coalition spanning construction trades, public employees, firefighters, police and dockworkers. The support arrives as Batangan seeks to turn his appointment to the Kahului seat into a full elected term.
Batangan’s campaign announced the endorsements, which include the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters, Hawaiʻi AFL-CIO, HGEA, both IBEW Local 1186 and Local 1260, ILWU Local 142, SHOPO, United Public Workers Hawaiʻi and several building-trades unions, according to Maui Now. Batangan said the backing was especially meaningful because multiple generations of his family worked in unionized jobs on Maui.
Fifteen Unions Back One Kahului Candidate
Batangan was appointed to complete the term of the late Council Member Tasha Kama and was sworn in earlier this year. The Maui News reported that Batangan had been selected by Mayor Richard Bissen to succeed Kama, who died in October.
He now faces Jason Ababan and Carol Lee Kamekona in the nonpartisan Kahului contest. The race is one of the more closely watched council matchups on the island because the winner will hold a seat on a council that has frequently split 5-4 on major issues.
Saturday’s Vote Covers A Countywide Council Race
Maui’s council seats have residency requirements, but they are elected at-large, meaning registered voters across Maui County can vote in the Kahului contest. The Hawaiʻi Office of Elections lists nine Maui County council seats and identifies Saturday’s election as the first step in choosing the county’s next council.
That structure gives Batangan’s union coalition a reach beyond Kahului. The endorsements may help him connect his campaign to working families across the island, though voters will ultimately decide whether his record and platform justify keeping him in office.
Housing And Costs Dominate Batangan’s Pitch
Batangan has centered his campaign on expanding affordable housing, reducing the cost of living and strengthening county services. In a candidate questionnaire published by Honolulu Civil Beat, he also highlighted aging infrastructure, watershed protection and more transparent management of public resources.
The union endorsements fit neatly into that message, particularly his emphasis on wages, benefits and local jobs. In an earlier endorsement announcement, ILWU Local 142 pointed to Batangan’s family history in organized labor, including a grandfather who immigrated from the Philippines and worked as a sakada.
For Batangan, the endorsement haul offers a high-profile closing argument just before ballots are counted: that his campaign is aligned with the people who build, maintain and staff Maui’s public and private infrastructure. For his challengers, the same list creates a clear target — a well-organized incumbent with institutional support, but also a record that voters can now judge for themselves.
